Bangkok, Thailand, Jul 12, 2004 / 22:00 pm
A debate erupted at the 15th International AIDS Conference yesterday after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told delegates that abstinence, not condoms, is the best way to prevent the spread of AIDS, reported Reuters.
The issue has set many AIDS activists at odds with health experts and the United States, which back condoms as the major defense against AIDS.
Museveni told delegates he considers condoms “an improvisation, not a solution.”
Instead, he called for “optimal relationships based on love and trust instead of institutionalized mistrust, which is what the condom is all about.”